Rubber prices soften in Asia, stay firm in other regions

4:11 PM MDT | April 17, 2014 | —Francinia Protti-Alvarez

Synthetic rubber prices have been declining in Asia, according to IHS Chemical’s latest Market Advisory Service: Global C4 Olefins & Elastomers. Meanwhile, in the United States, the synthetic rubber market has been showing signs of recovery. Demand in Europe’s domestic and export markets is also up, the report says. The natural rubber market in Asia is soft, and stocks have been rising. At Qingdao, China’s main hub for the commodity, natural rubber rose to about 360,000 m.t. by the end of March, adding about 20,000 m.t. from February...